About Rita
Rita Simmonds is a licensed mental health counselor in New York who helps people facing anxiety, depression, grief, and the daily strain of stress. She works with individuals dealing with trauma, relationship and intimacy concerns, and attention differences such as ADHD. Rita aims to make therapy straightforward and practical so clients can use new skills right away.
Rita uses a mix of approaches in sessions depending on what a person needs.
Background and approach
She draws on client-centered work to follow the client's pace and priorities. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques help break unhelpful thinking patterns and build new behaviors. Dialectical Behavior Therapy tools are used when emotion regulation and coping skills are a focus.
Her background includes five years of clinical practice as a licensed mental health counselor, New York LMHC. That experience includes supporting people through trauma, addiction, and life transitions. She also offers an EMDR approach when processing traumatic memories is appropriate and agreed on by the client.
Rita can bring a Christian-informed perspective for clients who want faith to be part of therapy; she follows the client’s lead on whether to integrate faith into sessions. She pays attention to issues like attachment, abandonment, body image, and caregiver stress in practical, everyday terms. Sessions are offered via video, phone, live chat, or text messaging.
Rita focuses on helping people build coping strategies, improve communication, and find clearer priorities during stressful or uncertain seasons.
Approaches that guide remote sessions
Client-centered therapy focuses on following the client's priorities and rhythm. The therapist listens closely, reflects what she hears, and helps clients set and pursue practical goals that feel manageable.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets patterns of thinking and behavior that maintain distress. Sessions often include simple exercises to test thoughts and build new habits useful for anxiety, depression, and attention-related struggles.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers skills for managing strong emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness. It can be helpful when impulsivity, anger, or intense mood swings interfere with daily life.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Rita will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked in the past. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust them over time as needed.
Online therapy formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation when bandwidth and schedules permit. Phone sessions can be easier when a short check-in is needed or when video would be difficult. Live chat and text messaging work well for people who prefer written check-ins, want reminders between sessions, or need flexible timing. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to keep work on skills between appointments.
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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